The once laidback Siargao Island was paradise for tourists looking for quiet retreats and beautiful spots. It boasts of white sand beaches, calm coves, turquoise waters and curling waves that make it the top surfing destination in the Philippines.
Until fresh-from-war Israelis arrived.
They are tourists who are looking to unwind after completing their compulsory military service in places like Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Lebanon. Used to getting their way in occupied Arab territories, some of them have been displaying arrogant behavior that rubs locals and other foreign tourists the wrong way.
Drunken brawls, arrests
Local non-government organization Project Paradise started documenting complaints this month against Israeli tourists disrespecting local traditions and values. Organization founder and president Sofia Nicole de Asis said their offenses include creating rackets in bars when drunk, dangerous driving, immodesty in public places, and littering on beaches and in the islands’ conservation zones.
De Asis said her organization is not specifically after Jews, just misbehaving tourists. “[O]ur mission is not to police identity, but to promote coexistence, responsibility, and respect for the island. Our focus is on behavior, not background,” she said.
But there have been more incidents involving post-army Israelis of late. An online video by tourism website TripZilla shows a drunken Israeli tourist shouting at a local watering hole, giving others obscene hand gestures. “Was Siargao promised to them 3,000 years ago?” the video’s caption asked.
Another recent incident involved two Israelis who jumped from a bridge into a river, a prohibited caper in the island. The two were arrested by island police.
A rabbi in the island, Mendel Spindler, rushed to their aid and tried to spring the two offenders from jail. He justified their misdemeanor by saying there was no sign informing visitors that jumping from the bridge was prohibited. Spindler also reportedly said the two Israeli tourists saw others doing it.
Spindler said the two tourists were being made examples for what he describes as “anti-Israel and antisemitic hostility,” with ugly messages sent through his social media page, such as “Heil Hitler.” Curiously, the rabbi considers “Free Palestine!” as another “ugly message.”
Trauma-dumping on locals
A Manila Times report in 2025 quotes a 24-year-old Israel Defense Forces (IDF) veteran who said: “We come for fun, quiet, and rest, especially after the war [on Gaza]… We are all soldiers, so after our service we come for vacation.”
But it is the locals who are bearing the brunt of the ex-soldiers’ “trauma-dumping,” various newspapers reported. They describe Israeli tourists not paying for their food and behaving arrogantly, such as calling Filipinos “slaves.” These offenses are shared on social media sites such as the Siargao Business Association Facebook page.
The Israeli tourists become even more bad-tempered when they see “Free Palestine!” stickers on public places, on laptops of other tourists from other countries and others wearing shirts with the message. They have instigated brawls, injuring locals and immediately leaving the island when police investigations start. One ex-IDF tourist reportedly bragged: “We kill all Palestinians!”
Locals have started demanding a ban on Israeli tourists, including Spindler’s plan to build a Chabad House –a Jewish community center operated by the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement – in the island they knew nothing about.
Close diplomatic ties notwithstanding
Not wanting to ruin close diplomatic ties with the Philippines, Israeli Ambassador to Manila Dana Kursh told Philippine authorities to arrest misbehaving Israeli tourists, following viral reports of their misconduct in Siargao. Distancing her government from any instinct to shield misbehaving compatriots, Kursh said visitors are bound by the laws and limits of the place that agreed to host them.
The Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI), meanwhile, promised to impose sanctions on law-breaking international tourists. BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said that the Philippine government is monitoring the movements of misbehaving Israeli nationals in Siargao.
Sandoval added: “We have seen the posts on social media and we are taking reports about foreign nationals very seriously. Foreigners found to be violating immigration laws will definitely face sanctions. If found to have violated immigration laws, violators may face deportation and blacklisting.”
How to report misconduct
TripZilla.ph for its part issued a deportation guideline on misbehaving Israelis in the paradise island, urging residents and business owners who experienced harassment from anyone to follow the following steps to ensure their complaint is handled properly:
Gather evidence: Take clear photos or videos of the incident as it happens. Ensure you have visual proof of the misconduct or environmental neglect.
Identify the individuals: Try to take note of the nationality and any identifying details of the foreign nationals involved.
Document the details: Write down the exact time, date, and location of the incident to make your report more credible.
Visit the BI field office: File a formal report at the nearest Bureau of Immigration field office.
Contact the Department of Tourism’s regional office: Ensure the complaint is documented and shared with the relevant embassy. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)
